monday songs blog

monday song #100: up in the skies

this is the final installment of the monday songs blog. in january i’ll be starting a new blog, planning to post a video each week. there’ll be some songwriting, for sure, but the format will be more open-ended, allowing for more experimental content and more of a narrative focus. hoping to make videos for a few of the “monday songs” in the process.

i wrote “up in the skies” way back in 1998, as we were waiting for the arrival of our son, cormac. originally “dear bella, little mac” was meant to cover the bases, in case we were having a girl. nowadays bella refers to my daughter maude, who was born in 2001.

the song took on mystical significance in 1999 when i was hospitalized with a manic episode. during an absurdly chaotic meltdown, i came to believe that if i kept this song going as a mantra, it would protect my soul from the ravages or reality. i was singing it at the top of my lungs when they carried me off to isolation…

i’ve never made a satisfactory recording of the song, largely because of the need for good drum sounds in the anthem outro. ezdrummer to the rescue! the plugin has really defined the sound of the last bunch of songs. well worth the purchase.

i launched monday songs on my birthday in 2008, and now 6 years and 100+ songs later, i’m done. this has ben the best creative work i’ve done, and has inspired me to try to take on bigger things. in 2015 i will be working fulltime on my art, and hope to be sharing everything of interest.

“You blur and sparkle as I cry” …exquisite. Thanks so much, Andy, for sharing your amazing songs with us. Its always such a treat to find a song and a message in my inbox. So happy you’re expanding out, and I look forward to seeing and hearing what you do next. Much Love, D.